Title

Author

Date of Award

8-2000

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Sexual aggression and rape are pervasive and serious problems in the United States. One factor which has been associated with sexual aggression and rape is the perpetrator's use of sexually explicit material, especially sexually violent pornography. The current study examined the effect of exposure to different types of media depictions, including sexually violent, violent, sexual, and general arousing conditions on men's expression of sexually impositional behavior toward women using a laboratory analogue. Participants viewed one of four, 45 minute clips from the above categories. Then, they chose one of four short clips (negatively arousing, sexual clip; a negatively arousing, nonsexual clip; a positively arousing, sexual clip; or a positively arousing, nonsexual clip) to show to a female confederate. Following this clip, they showed each of the four clips to the female confederate for a length which they determined. Logistic regression analyses do not support the hypothesis that exposure to 45 minutes of a single instance of a particular media type affects clip choice. Multiple regression analyses find no significant effect of media type exposure on clip length. Thus, the current study does not provide support for the hypothesis that exposure to sexually violent media affects sexually impositional behavior in men. However, the current study does provide support for the validity of this analogue while also suggesting directions for continued refinement of the procedure.